Blade

Blades and Assaults are lizard-like demons created by either the emperor of demon-kind or other high-class demons to attack the Human World. They are encountered as common enemies in Devil May Cry starting with Mission 9: New Strength, and briefly in the underwater missions of Devil May Cry 2. Their Devil May Cry 4 counterparts, the Assaults, are first encountered by Nero in Mission 7: The She-Viper.

Description
Blades resemble large, lizard-like creatures with oversized claws on their left hands. They wear a round shield on their right forearm, coated with evil powers to deflect most attacks, and armor on their heads to protect them from firearms. Their defense is good for attacks that comes from above, but never from below. A tactic they favor is to increase the blood flow into their left arm to shoot off their talons like javelins. Even if they are juggled in midair, for example by a flurry of Ebony & Ivory shots, they use their reptilian agility to flip backward and counterattack using their lunge slash.

Even with all this protection, Blades are not weighed down. Their incredible physical strength grants them the ability to leap high into the air and surprise their victims from above. They are just as able to attack underwater as on land, making them a dangerous enemy. Most of all, Blades attack in packs, and are relentless, bloodthirsty killers that will grant their weakened prey no quarter.

Assault
Assaults are the Devil May Cry 4 equivalent of the Blade. The two demons are essentially identical but Assaults are lighter in color and have decorative frills around their heads. Assault helmets and shields also appear different than those of the Blades. While the Blades' armor appears to be made of metal, the Assaults' equipment appears to be made out of an alabaster substance similar to bone.

Devil May Cry
The Blades, large or small, all share a weakness, and that is a downward midair slash when they are on the ground, face down. One way to get them face down on the floor is this: First, you must perform a well-placed Stinger to the face. If done correctly, the Blade will be reeling back, temporarily stunned. While it's stunned, get behind it and do another Stinger to the back. Now it will be face down. Lastly, jump and do a downward slash. High Time or an ordinary slash will do. The Blade will then bleed to death.

They usually attack by lunging at their target with their swollen left arm, but the slash can be predicted by an experienced player. They are also able to burrow underground in order to attack their enemies from below. There can be larger Blades who tower over Dante but attack in the same way as their smaller counter parts.

You can also use grenade rolling or you may use Inferno, especially for large groups of Blades. If you prefer to juggle your enemies, High Time them with Alastor (without following them into the air) and just wail on them while their uncovered areas are exposed.

Devil May Cry 2
Only Lucia has to contend with these enemies, and only in the underwater missions. Shoot them repeatedly with the Bow Gun and dodge their claws when they shoot them. You can also use Cranky Bombs.

Devil May Cry 4
Because of their speed and resistance to being staggered, Assaults can make aggrivating opponents. The shield can easily be broken, however, by using Devil Trigger and attacking with a fast combo. It can also be easily shattered with a single blast with a Charge Shot 3, and the secondary explosion will damage them even further. The shotgun also helps break their shields, if they block with them.

Nero's Devil Bringer comes in handy here, as he can use it to seize an Assault by the tail and then smash it into the ground repeatedly. Any enemies caught in the way of this also take damage. Dante's best bet is to blast the Assaults with the Coyote-A while leaping into the air to attack from above.

Development
The Blades were originally conceived as prototypes for the Resident Evil franchise as the next generation of Hunters.

Background
The design of the Blade enemy seems to be based on one of the tortures of the eighth circle of Hell, Fraud. In the seventh Bolgia of Fraud, thieves are punished by being repeatedly bitten by snakes and other reptiles. The bite causes them to die and regenerate their forms again. However, the souls trapped in the seventh Bolgia of Fraud take on a reptilian appearance, leading them to steal the human forms of newly arrived souls.

Blade's origins and appearance also bear some strong resemblance to the Marvel Comics supervillain Lizard. Both are reptilian humanoid monstrosities who were the result of experiments gone array (Lizard being the result of an attempt to regenerate a missing limb he lost in a war prior to the main storyline of the Spiderman comics whereas Blades are the result of experiments conducted by Mundus) and both were driven feral as a result of their reptilian nature.